Collateral Damage
by Goo2011
Summary: The team must worker harder than they've ever done before to locate and rescue their missing colleague. The price of failure is higher than they could ever imagine.   Warning: This is Tony centric, but he isn't in it all that much.
1. Chapter 1

_**Monday, April 11 **_

McGee leant down, meticulously flicking the sprinkles from his jelly doughnut into the bin beneath his desk. He resurfaced only to see Gibbs standing fixedly in front of his desk, a thick manila file clutched tightly in his left hand.

"You found DiNozzo yet? " Gibbs demanded.

"No Boss." McGee replied, placing his doughnut on a neatly laid out napkin. "I've tried his cell and apartment, no answer." McGee hastily added when his initial reply was met with Gibbs' bone shaking stare.

"And Ziva?" Gibbs snapped, not moving from the spot.

"Ditto Boss."

At nearly 08.30, the office was now buzzing with agents, support staff and ringing phones, with the exception of Team Gibbs, which was currently missing half it's members.

"When they get here, you tell them they're both fired." Gibbs brusquely stated, as he slammed the file on his desk and made his way to the vending machine area.

"Boss, shouldn't _you _tell them?" McGee shouted after him. He sighed before dialling the number for the tenth time that morning.

"_David." _

McGee could hear the noise of bustling traffic and tooting horns over the receiver.

"Where are you? Gibbs is doing his nut." McGee had to almost shout over the din.

"_Relax McGee, I had a flat tire. These Mini Coopers are not what they once were. I will be there in fifteen minutes."_

"Have you seen Tony?" McGee asked, more in desperation than expectation.

"_Worried about me McAnxious?" Tony taunted, as he snatched the phone from Ziva's grasp. _

"Not me, but you'd better watch out for Gibbs, he's after your asses."

McGee heard Ziva loudly cursing some unsuspecting motorist, who'd obviously beeped his horn at her.

"_Now you see, I always thought the Boss was more of a breasts man." Tong replied reflectively._

"Funny Tony. Why weren't you answering your phone?"

"_You heard Ziva, we were busy changing the tire."_

Ziva grabbed the phone back from Tony. _"I was busy changing the tire. Tony spotted the attractive Latino who had stopped to help and decided to 'assist.'" She turned to Tony, "You know my English is not so good Tony, 'assist', is that what it is called in America when you flirt with a girl, while watching your co-worker struggle to change her …" Ziva was cut off mid sentence. _

"If you two don't get your ass's here in five minutes, the only assistance you'll be needing is emergency." Gibbs boomed.

"_Yes Gibbs." "On it Boss." Both agents replied in unison. _

OOO

**Tuesday, April 12**

Having eventually turned up an hour late yesterday, Gibbs had made Tony and Ziva do desk work; filing, archiving, report writing, all day – boring them into submission and repentance.

Ziva arrived to work early the following day, surprised to see Tony hadn't yet turned up. After the day they'd had yesterday, both had vowed to arrive well before Gibbs.

"Morning Ziva." McGee cheerfully greeted as he walked over to her desk. "What a beautiful morning."

"You are in early." Ziva replied, looking up from her computer.

"Got a call from Gibbs, told me to get here, collect you and the car and get to Dale."

"We have a case?"

"Don't know, he hung up before I could ask."

"Should we not wait for Tony?" Ziva asked, starting to get up.

"He didn't say to and as he was in an even worse temper than yesterday, I thought it best not to ask."

"A wise move McGee." Ziva replied, grabbing her gun and rucksack before making her way to the elevator with McGee.

OOO

The vehicle skidded to an abrupt halt at the junction. Several marked and unmarked police cars and a tow truck blocked the road ahead. The double track road was some miles off the main highway and was flanked on one side by a high bank of dense shrubs and the other a grass verge, after which lay deep, impenetrable woodland.

The sun still lay low, making it difficult to see more than twenty meters ahead. Ziva shaded her eyes as she struggled to view the scene through the windscreen.

"Looks like an RTA." Ziva eventually said as she glimpsed a car smashed into a large cedar tree just behind the cordoned off area and the throng of LEO's and emergency personnel.

"Well you're lucky you didn't cause one yourself. They have speed limits for a reason Ziva." McGee replied, unbuckling his seat-belt and alighting the van. "This road doesn't look like it's used much. Hard to see what could have caused an accident."

"Well I suppose we had better go and find out. Gibbs is over by the car." Ziva said, spotting him. Showing their badges to the Officer, they made their way under the tape.

"It looks like a black Audi TT. Nice car." McGee admired.

"You mean _was _a nice car." Ziva corrected.

As they got closer they could see that the front end passenger side of the vehicle had been almost decimated by the impact.

"Tony drives one. Bit ostentatious for my liking. Definitely Tony's style though." McGee joked.

Ziva quickly gave McGee a worried look, before rushing over to Gibbs.

"What is going on?" Ziva hastily asked as they approached Gibbs.

"Got a call from Fornell. The local LEO's got an anonymous call at 06.07 this morning. When they identified the car as belonging to a Federal Agent, they contact the FBI."

"Is it Tony's? Is he okay?" Ziva anxiously asked, as she studied the wreckage.

"No sign of him at the scene." Gibbs calmly responded.

"Have you checked the hospitals?" McGee asked as he joined them.

"Well gee McGee, I never thought of that." Gibbs replied, letting a little of his frustration

show.

"Sorry Boss."

"Well what do you think happened?" Ziva asked.

"That's what we're going to find out Agent David." Gibbs replied. "McGee you sketch and shoot, Ziva take fingerprints and samples of everything. Get them to tow the vehicle to the NCIS garage when you're finished McGee. I'm going to join Fornell and his men, searching the surrounding area."

"I will try Tony's cell phones." Ziva stated, pulling hers from her belt holder. "Maybe he is injured and disorientated."

"Already done it." Gibbs replied. "His personal cell phone was found smashed on the edge of road and his work one is switched off."

Ziva looked towards the road, where she saw the yellow marker, indicating where Tony's phone had been found.

"Boss, isn't this FBI jurisdiction? Tony's a civilian, not navy or marine personnel." McGee said.

Gibbs walked up to him, until they were almost nose to nose.

"You have a problem with us dealing with this McGee?" Gibbs rigidly replied. Despite their similar height, Gibbs seemed to tower over the younger agent.

"I didn't mean anything Boss."

Gibbs steely eyes bore into him.

"I'll go take the photo's." McGee quickly replied, making his way the short distance to what was left of Tony's car.

OOO

Ziva and McGee returned to the Navy Yard around midday, logging in evidence while the tow firm unloaded Tony's vehicle inside the garage. They were met by Abby, Ducky and Vance.

"Where's Gibbs?" Vance sternly asked.

"He went to Tony's apartment." McGee politely answered. "He wanted to speak to the security guards to see if they noticed anything suspicious recently and collect Tony's laptop for us to look at." McGee turned to Abby, who was staring at Tony's mangled vehicle. "You okay?" McGee asked.

"What do I need to check first?" Abby replied unemotionally. Ducky put his arm comfortingly around her.

"Well Gibbs wants you to check mine and Tony's car tires." Ziva replied.

"Can I get a SitRep before you go any further?" Vance demanded. He'd seen this team hell bent on finding one of their own before. If he didn't take control now, he knew it may slip from his grasp forever.

"Tony's vehicle was found smashed into a tree three miles off interchange 79. An anonymous call led the LEO's to the scene." McGee explained. "The LEO's arrived at 06.34 and secured the area. They ran the licence plate and found it belonged to a Federal Agent and contacted the FBI. Fornell then contacted Gibbs. Both arrived at the scene at 07.00. There were three sets of footprints leading to and from the vehicle, blood inside the vehicle and leading to the road, plus a liquid found on the drivers interior door. There were several sets of tire tracks, which we have taken imprints of. From observation, Tony's vehicle had both the back tires blown out."

"My car had a blow out yesterday and you know how Gibbs feels about coincidences." Ziva added.

"You don't think it could just be an accident and maybe he wandered off and got himself lost or some kind stranger has taken him in?" Ducky asked, hopeful that Tony's disappearance wasn't any more serious than a road traffic accident. "If he suffered a blow to the head, it could be that he has amnesia and doesn't know who to call."

"Unlikely Ducky." McGee replied. "It looks like someone shot at Tony's tires. We also found his cell phone smashed at the side of the road."

"And we found blood. It's unlikely he could have got far with that blood loss." Ziva added.

"When Gibbs gets back tell him I want to see him immediately." Vance stated. "And I want to know everything. I know it's difficult, but if there is even a whiff of us breaking protocol, the FBI are ready to jump in."

"But they hate Tony." McGee bluntly stated.

Abby punched him in the arm. "No one hates Tony. They just like to accuse him of murder every now and again."

"If DiNozzo doesn't turn up by 18.00, I want your preliminary reports on my desk before you leave this evening. SATNAV will want to know if we have an 'incident' here." Vance said, before heading to the elevator. They all new that by 'incident' Vance meant that Tony had been targeted because of his connection with NCIS.

"I am deducing from the looks on your faces, that you aren't planning on going anywhere this evening." Ducky surmised, staring at the three determined faces in front of him.

"My record for staying awake is five days." Abby stated, "Although I did feel a little dizzy and was seeing Elvis, in a pink tutu, dancing the tango with my father," She shook her head, trying to get the mental image out of it. "But the point is, we _have _to find Tony within five days because I really, really don't think I can stay awake longer than that."

"I rather hope we will locate him sooner than that Abigail." Ducky added, not needing to articulate to the team, what the chances were of finding him safe and well after five days missing.

OOO

The young, olive skinned woman sat in the drivers seat of the stolen SUV, parked at a private airstrip just west of Washington. She removed her green leather gloves as she pulled her cell phone from her jacket pocket. Placing the gloves and recently acquired Walther P99 pistol onto the passenger seat, she pulled down the sun-guard and looked at herself in the vanity mirror. She reapplied her lipstick before lifting the shield back up and picking up the phone. She dialled the number she knew off by heart.

"Ruiz." The man answered on the third ring.

"Giovanny is on his way to you with the merchandise." She laconically stated.

"Any problems?"

"One potential witness. I will tie up loose ends and will fly out to you in a few days."

"And how did it go yesterday?"

"Fine. The bomb was placed where requested and they have no idea." She laughed.

"Do not get complacent." Ruiz counselled. "We've got a long way to go before we can start to celebrate. Let me know when the witness has been eliminated." Ruiz rang off.

She tossed the phone onto the passenger seat, smiling to herself, before replacing her gloves and driving off at full speed back to Washington.

OOO

McGee was already back at his desk, looking through Tony's computer files by the time Ziva returned to the bullpen, having driven her car to the garage for Abby to check.

"Found anything yet McGee?" Ziva asked.

"Just started, although looking at the websites Tony goes to, I've already uncovered an obsession with South African culture and history that I never knew he had."

"Probably trying to impress a girl."

"You might be right. I found a picture he'd saved on his computer. Very attractive. Looks a bit like you actually, brown eyes, black hair." McGee replied smiling.

"Let me look." Ziva replied as she made her way to McGee's desk.

"You need to start looking at old cases when Tony was Team Leader." McGee stated, stopping her in her tracks. "There's a lot to get through before Gibbs gets back."

She looked over at Tony's desk, silently chastising herself for getting sidetracked with finding out who Tony's latest lover interest was.

"I will also need to speak to the Captain's of USS Ronald Reagan and USS Seahawk to get the case files sent over." Ziva stated, returning to her desk.

"The files should all be stored electronically on the central system. You'll just need to get the access code from the Admiralties office." McGee offered.

"When this is over McGee you will have to tell me why your Carriers and Ships are named as they are. There is no logic to it."

The sudden blaring of alarms inside the building stopped the conversation short.

"This is _really _not a good day to be having a practice fire drill." Ziva stated exasperatedly, picking up her bag before quickly making her way to the stairs with McGee.

OOO

Abby found McGee and Ziva sitting on a bench in Anacostia park, the faint sound of the alarm still audible in the distance. The beautiful weather had led most of the office staff to have an early lunch and soak up some sun.

"I've been looking for you everywhere." Abby breathlessly stated, as she fought through the crowds still gathered.

"Abby, do you know what is going on? We have been out here for thirty-eight minutes and no one will tell us why. They just keep moving us further away from the building. I think I am now closer to home than work." Ziva stated.

"Yeah, it's kind of my fault." Abby confessed. "You see, I was checking your tyre, the one that got a puncture yesterday and I decided to check the other tyres too. I moved underneath the car to check and…" Abby looked directly at Ziva. "Promise me you wont freak."

"I do not 'freak' Abby. Just tell me." Ziva irritably demanded.

"I found a bomb under your car."

"A bomb?" McGee exclaimed. People in the vicinity turned and stared at them.

"Yeah, just a little one. No more than the size of a cellphone." Abby explained, in the hope of playing down the incident and reassuring the onlookers.

"I need to get there before they do a controlled explosion. They will destroy the evidence." Ziva stated, rising from the bench.

"You're not going anywhere Ziva." Gibbs suddenly stated from behind them.

"But Gibbs, we could pull fingerprints and DNA from the bomb. If it has something to do with Tony, it may help us find him." Ziva pleaded.

"And lose you. I'm not putting one Agent in danger in order to possibly save another. We don't even know this has anything to do with Tony's disappearance."

"Is anyone going to ask me?" Abby interjected, a smile ghosting across her lips.

"Ask you what Abby?" Gibbs impatiently asked.

"Gibbs, you're losing your touch. You usually know when I know something. And you usually

know, that I know that you know I know something."

"Abby!"

"I already took fingerprints from the car. Also Ziva's busted tire was busted because there was a dart in it, which I also managed to retrieve before I found the bomb."

"Any results back yet?" Gibbs asked.

"I'm not super woman Gibbs. Well I was once. At a fancy dress party. We all had to go as superhero's. I was going to go as you Gibbs, but I couldn't find the right kind of wig and I thought that no one at the party would know you, so then I decided to go as Superwomen and wore …."

"I get it Abs. How long to get the results back?"

"Well fingerprint and dart results will take a few hours, DNA, twelve hours minimum. Hey, the ringing's stopped."

They all turned to see people packing their lunches up and heading back to the office.

"You've got four hours to get me something Abby."

OOO

Gibbs had been summoned to Vance's office immediately upon their return to the office. Vance's assistant, Elaine, had ushered him in, as soon as he'd stood at her desk.

"Want to tell me what the hell is going on? Why there was a bomb under David's car?" Vance demanded. "A bomb which apparently also managed to escape our detectors on the way in this morning."

"I don't know yet Director." Gibbs replied, as he stood opposite the seated Director.

"One of your agents goes missing, the other has a bomb under her car. We seemed to have a situation here, wouldn't you say?"

"Abby's processing the evidence from Ziva's and Tony's vehicles. The bomb disposal team are checking our vehicles and security has been stepped up. I also have the explosives team checking all our apartments. The two security guards at Tony's apartment couldn't tell me anything and his apartment looked untouched. I'm going back later to talk to the night security guard."

Vance studied him. He could see the tightness around Gibbs jaw. Despite his gruff exterior,

Vance knew Gibbs took it as a personal affront if anyone threatened a member of his team.

"I've revoked DiNozzo's security clearance, as per standard procedure." Vance stated, chewing on his toothpick. "Whoever has him, may try to use him to access our systems."

"I know the drill Director."

"So what does your famous gut say?"

"That DiNozzo's in trouble. They've targeted him for a reason. There are lots of Agent's that would be easier targets than DiNozzo. Even if they wanted to target the team, McGee would be easier than Tony."

"Well DiNozzo does have a way of getting people's backs up. Maybe someone took an extreme dislike to him."

"I think they put the bomb under Ziva's car as a way of persuading Tony to do whatever they want. My team are working on cases DiNozzo led. I'll have an update for you by 18.00."

Gibbs turned to go.

"You know what my feelings were on DiNozzo."

Gibb's turned to face the Director, his face hard. "I recall you said something about needing more McGee's and less DiNozzo's."

"Well, DiNozzo appears to have a way of crawling under your skin."

"His a damn good agent Director."

"I know that Gibbs. What I'm trying to say is that I've persuaded the FBI to allow you free reign over this investigation. You're off rota for the moment. But if you can't bring this to a successful conclusion, quickly, then we bring in the FBI. We may be able to go head to head with them most of the time, but they have more resources than us. If we're struggling, for everyone's sake, we may need to swallow or pride and ask for help."

OOO

Gibbs made his way back down the stairs. He was stopped by several people asking about Tony. He ignored them all and purposely strolled up to McGee's desk.

"Tell me you got something McGee." Gibbs said. The threat of the FBI taking over, still playing on his mind.

McGee had been studiously working through Tony's work computer, personal laptop and phone records since he'd returned. He felt uneasy about it. Normally when he did this, the person was, at most, just a face and a name. This was different, he felt he was intruding into

Tony's private life. It felt wrong.

"I've looked at Tony's phone records and he made and received several calls a day to a cell number registered to a Mrs. L. Brucks. He also received several emails from her on his home and work email addresses. They're personal." McGee looked up at Gibbs. "_Very _personal. I've got her address. It's only eight miles from where Tony's car was found." McGee handed Gibbs the address.

"He was making his way home before coming to work." Gibbs surmised.

"Or leaving before her husband arrived home." Ziva added from her desk. "If Mrs. Brucks is still married, her husband has a motive for wanting to harm Tony."

"Not Tony's style to go with married women." Gibbs categorically stated.

"Maybe not intentionally, but remember Monica? He didn't find out until later that she was married." Ziva replied.

Gibbs didn't like this. If Tony had got himself messed up in something over a damn woman, he'd give him more than a head slap when he found him.

"Ziva, you and I will pay Mrs. Brucks a visit. McGee, keep searching and let me know what you can find out about Mr. Brucks."

"Boss, there was a picture on Tony's computer that he'd downloaded from his phone yesterday. It maybe her." McGee stated as he printed off the image and handed it to Gibbs.

Gibbs briefly viewed it before tucking it in his inside jacket pocket and heading to the elevator with Ziva.

OOO

Ruiz stood in the cellar of his sister-in-law's farmhouse in Meridiano. He checked for the fifth time that day that everything was in place for their American friends visit. He tested the steel bars on the small window of the cellar room to ensure they wouldn't break off. He checked the manacle was secured to the bottom of the wall and was not going to snap apart. He checked the lock on the outside of the door. He moved into the small bathroom opposite. He checked there was nothing that could be used as a weapon by their guest.

Finally satisfied he made his way to the stone staircase. He'd just reached the top when the phone rang.

"Ruiz."

"_How is it going?" The caller asked._

"Everything is in place Jhon. I will pick them up from the airport in a few hours."

"_What condition was he in?"_

"Giovanny said he was conscious when they found him. He had a lacerated knee and a gash to the head. Sanchez sedated him and stitched him up as good as she could. He should still be out of it until he gets here and we get him settled in." Ruiz replied.

"_Good, I need you to start with him as soon as he's awake. We're working to a tight timescale here. How is Sanchez doing?" _

"She's done all that's been asked of her so far."

"_I don't trust women, they're too swayed by their emotions."_

"She and her boyfriend want a cut of this, they're not going to do anything to jeopardise that, and you've got to admit, her boyfriend being a pilot opens up a lot more avenues to us."

"_Him I can see the benefit of, her not so much. She brings nothing to the cause and from my experience woman are better placed to support their men when they return from doing the dirty work needed to keep them in diamonds and Gucci bags."_

"We're not asking her to torture the guy. She just had to get him here, which is what she did. You know me Jhon, you know where I like my women."

"_Yeah, I remember," Jhon replied laughing, "It's somewhere between your knee and naval, right?"_

Ruiz laughed back. "Times have changed and I think she might just be able to help us and add a new dimension. You know people trust women more than men."

"_Fine, but if this goes to shit, I'll remember who introduced her to me." _The phone went dead.

OOO

Gibbs and Ziva made their way down the pebble path, towards the wooden house, set some way back from the street. The house appeared to have been built in the middle of a wood, with the neighbouring houses largely obscured by trees and bushes. The surroundings lent a peaceful seclusion to the area. Or as Gibbs thought, excellent camouflage for stalking and storming a house.

The window at the top of the sturdy oak door was partially obscured by the ravenous ivy, which seemed to envelope the entire front of the building. Gibbs rapped hard on the door.

After a few moments, a tall, dark haired women in her mid-thirties answered. She was dressed in jeans and a fitted black t-shirt that accentuated her slender figure and highlighted her vivid green eyes.

"May I help you?"

"My name's Special Agent Gibbs, this is Agent David." Gibbs replied, showing her his NCIS badge. "We'd like to speak to you about an incident which happened this morning."

"What kind of incident?" She questioned.

"May we come in and discuss this?" Gibbs politely asked.

The women opened the door to allow them in.

"Take a seat." The women offered as she sat in the armchair, separated from them by an antique walnut coffee table. She sat with her hands underneath her legs.

"This morning we went to the scene of a road traffic accident involving a Federal Agent, Anthony DiNozzo." Gibbs stated, showing her a picture of Tony. She looked briefly at the picture, before focusing her attention back on Gibbs. "We're trying to ascertain what happened and it appears he'd been calling your cell phone regularly over previous months."

"Is he okay?" She casually asked.

"We have yet to find him." Ziva replied.

"Do you know Special Agent DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked.

"No I don't. I'm sorry but you must have the wrong information."

"McGee does not make mistakes." Ziva categorically stated.

They both looked at the women, who looked lost in her own thoughts.

"Mrs. Brucks." Ziva loudly stated, attempting to get her attention.

"Sorry, who's McGee?"

"Our resident IT guru." Ziva replied.

"Well I'm afraid on this occasion he must have done. I'm sorry you've wasted your time."

She stood up, making it clear that she wished them to leave.

"We're not quite done yet Mrs. Brucks." Gibbs stated.

"My name is Ms. Hampson, maybe that's where the confusion is." She replied, remaining standing.

"Do you know a Mrs. Brucks?" Ziva asked.

"I'm afraid I don't."

Gibbs stood up. "Just in case we need to contact you again, are you planning on going anywhere?"

"No, I'm working from home for the rest of the week, but I really don't see how I can help you further." She made her way towards the door, followed closely by Gibbs and Ziva. "I

really do hope you find your colleague soon and I'm sorry I couldn't help." She said, as she

held the door open for them. Ziva left without a word, while Gibbs politely thanked her for

her time.

"She is lying?" Ziva fumed as they made their way towards the car.

"Do you think?" Gibbs sarcastically replied.

Ignoring the remark Ziva continued. "She knew he worked for NCIS. She said she 'hopes we find our colleague soon'. You must have picked up on that. Why did you not bring her in for questioning? Tony may be being held in her house now, we should get a warrant immediately. In fact forget the warrant, we should just go in and search the place."

"She was scared Ziva. When we mentioned Tony and the accident, she almost turned white.

Why wait for Tony to be halfway home before arranging for him to be kidnapped? It would have been far safer for her to have just done it here, where no one is around. I need to know what McGee found out about her husband and to trace her calls. I also want you to get someone to watch her."

"You still think she is Mrs. Brucks?"

"I think she was. She still had a faint white mark on her wedding finger, where a ring once was."

Gibbs retrieved his phone from his jacket pocket, the picture McGee had pulled from Tony's computer dropped to the floor. Gibbs stooped to pick it up.

"Seems DiNozzo has a few irons in the fire. This isn't the lady we've just spoken with." Gibbs stated handing the picture to Ziva.

"No," Ziva replied, looking at he photograph, "but _that _is the lady who stopped to help me with my flat tire yesterday."

**OOO**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

It was after three by the time Gibbs and Ziva returned to the Navy Yard. Gibbs zipped the car into a vacant parking space in the underground parking lot, before they made their way towards the internal stairwell.

"You want coffee or something?" Gibbs asked just before they made their way up the stairs. Ziva looked at him confused. "You are going on a coffee run?"

"Do you want anything or not?" Gibbs tetchily asked again.

"Jasmine tea." Ziva frowned, not remembering Gibbs ever before offering to buy her coffee.

Gibbs left Ziva to make her way back into the office and Bullpen.

"Where's the Boss?" McGee asked, as he saw Ziva approach her desk.

"Coffee run." Ziva replied, not elaborating further.

Ziva locked away her gun and turned to her computer. McGee decided to wait for Gibbs to return before updating them on what he'd found over the last couple of hours. He didn't have to wait long before Gibbs returned. He gave Ziva her jasmine tea and handed a café latte to McGee.

"What's this Boss?" McGee eyed the Styrofoam cup suspiciously.

"Coffee McGee. Now give me an update."

"Right." McGee frowned. He really didn't want to think about the significance of what would, from anyone else, have been a mundane gesture. "Well I've traced Mrs Brucks'

husband, Gregory Brucks to Fairview, New York. Records show he lives there with an Anne

Casey. He works as a Pharmaceutical Sales Rep. I've spoken to Anne, she said he walked out four weeks ago and she's not seen him since. She said he still loved Louisa. I then checked with his company, ACA Pharmaceuticals. They told me he's at their Development Centre in Winchester for a week, training on new products. Winchester's only seventy-five miles from Washington, he could have made it there and back before the morning session started at 09.30. They're checking to see what time he arrived this morning."

"So who is Ms Hampson?" Ziva asked.

"Hampson is Louisa's maiden name. She's in the process of officially changing it, although the divorce was finalised six months ago." McGee replied. "She's a freelance interpreter and translator, working for governments and businesses across the world. Her father, Henry Hampson was a South African diplomat. He married the American author Annabel Spencer and stayed here until his retirement two years ago, when he moved back to South Africa with his wife."

"Did you put a trace on her phone?" Ziva asked.

"Yes, she made a call immediately after you left, to Gregory Brucks."

"I want you to bring Gregory Brucks in for questioning and get that picture down to Abby, see if she can find out who that women is." Gibbs ordered, taking the earlier photo from his pocket and slamming it down on McGee's desk. "I'm going to visit Tony's apartment."

OOO

Gibbs returned to Tony's apartment complex to speak to the remaining Security Guard who'd been off shift during his earlier visit. He was unable to add anything more than the other two security guards. There'd been no suspicious visitors to Tony's apartment or hanging around the complex. No one could get in or out of the building without a key card and only two were issued per resident.

"Can you order more?" Gibbs asked.

"Only if you have a special reason. They don't want cards being given out left, right and centre." The Security Guard replied, not taking his eyes off the security monitor.

"Can you check if Tony ordered one?"

"Let me have a look on the system." He moved to his computer and typed away, "The guys

told me Tony'd gone missing, but they're prone to exaggeration. You know what it's like, it makes the day go quicker."

"It's true." Gibbs replied without emotion.

"'Shame, he's a nice guy. Bit demanding at times, but always sends me and the guys a bottle

of Jacks at Christmas. Here we go, a third key was issued two months ago."

"Does it say why?"

"No, sorry. You'd have to speak to the Manager. They keep the requests on file in their office."

"Okay if I head up to Tony's apartment again?"

"Sure, do you need a card?" The guard asked.

"No, I have my own." Gibbs replied. Tony had given him a key card when he'd contracted plague. Gibbs never got round to giving it back and Tony had never asked.

He opened the door to the apartment, which was situated on the second floor of the apartment block. He knew the layout well and immediately made his way towards the lounge at the end of the hallway. As he passed the master bedroom her heard a noise. He retrieved his gun and quietly made his way into the room just as he heard someone in the en suite bathroom.

"Federal Agent, come out with your hands in the air." Gibbs ordered.

He saw a startled head appear around the door moments later, her features relaxing slightly when she saw who it was.

"You nearly gave me a heart attack Agent Gibbs."

"Want to tell me what the hell you're doing here Ms. Hampson?"

OOO

Vance looked down from the mezzanine, hoping Gibbs was back from his visit to DiNozzo's apartment and able to provide him with a status report. Instead he saw an empty desk, several discarded coffee cups and half eaten sandwich. Being Director had its perks, and goodness knows he'd had his fill of being a field agent; of been shot at and targeted by thugs, despots and terrorists, but there were times he wished he could roll up his sleeves and just muck in. He'd slowly, and against his better judgement, grown fond of Gibbs and his team. Yes they tried his patience, yes they bent the rules and pissed people off, but they got the job done and as Director that's all you could ask of your people. It was usually his job to smooth the waters after Team Gibbs regularly caused the equivalent of a political tsunami.

He knew if anyone could find DiNozzo, it would be Gibbs and his team. He would just have to concentrate on doing what he could to help, while looking like he was keeping a professional distance and not stepping on toes.

He made his way to the elevator and headed towards Abby's lab.

Abby was busy punching numbers into the Mass Spectrometer, not seeing Vance walk up behind her.

"Abby!"

Abby jumped backwards, knocking Vance into the table, the test tubes, vials and evidence bags falling to the floor. She turned around, a horrified expression on her face, as she

helped Vance regain his balance.

"Director Vance! Oh my goodness. I'm so sorry. Do you want to sit down? Shall I get you some water, or a coffee, or a tooth pick?"

"I'm okay thank you Ms Schuto." Vance firmly replied, steadying himself. "I remember now why I don't come down here so often as I should."

"I can normally sense Gibbs coming, but I'm not yet tuned into to your aura." Abby replied, while picking up the items which had fallen from the table.

Vance frowned at her, not understanding. "I came for an update on the bomb detecting equipment."

"Without Gibbs?" She said surprised, as she placed the fallen items back on the table.

"He allows me out by myself occasionally."

"Sorry." She said biting on the bottom of her lip, before turning to him.

"anyway, Gibbs has gone back to DiNozzo's apartment."

"Why?"

Vance raised his eyebrow at her.

"Sorry, again." Abby blushed slightly, before turning to her computer and checking her emails. "I haven't got the results back from the Techie's at the moment."

Just then the email pinged.

"You're getting like Gibbs. He always knows when I have something." Abby opened the email quickly scanned through the information before printing it off and handing it to

Vance.

"Seems like it's all dud. Not one piece of hand held detection equipment works. They could

have been bombs coming into the yard for the last seven days and we wouldn't know about

it."

"How the hell did this happen?" He snapped.

Abby knew he wasn't waiting for an answer.

"We need to check out the parking lot." Vance urgently stated.

"Well the security inside is still airtight. The CTX machines are fine, it's just the equipment used outside."

"There could still be a bomb in a vehicle that could take out the whole building."

"That's good thinking." Abby frowned. "I should have thought of that."

"You concentrate on your forensics let me deal with the rest."

"So do I need to leave the building, because I really have a lot to do here as do McGee and Ziva? I'll sign something to say I agreed to stay."

"That wont be necessary. Most staff have gone for the day. I'll get security to check the remaining vehicles. You carry on. I'll get Elaine to get the providers in first thing tomorrow."

Vance stated, before leaving the Lab and storming toward the elevator, preparing himself for the unenviable task of informing SecNav of the major security breach.

OOO

Louisa was sat in the Interrogation Room awaiting Gibbs return. She'd been brought in by Gibbs thirty minutes ago and was now under the watchful eyes of Ziva and McGee.

"She's very attractive." McGee said to Ziva as they studied the nervous looking women through the glass in the Observation Room. Louisa was sat biting her thumb nail and studying the unfamiliar room.

"If you like that sort of thing." Ziva replied nonchalantly.

"I'm a man Ziva, of course I like 'that sort of thing'. She's stunning. You could lose yourself in those emerald green eyes of hers."

"You had better not let Tony hear you say that." Ziva stopped, as she shared a brief look of concern with McGee.

"We'll find him." Was all McGee could think to say. "He's been gone less than twenty four hours and we have leads coming out of our ears. We just need to narrow them down and tie them up somehow."

"Well hopefully Gibbs will be able to get some information from Lady Macbeth in there." Ziva replied as Gibbs walked into the Interrogation Room.

"You ready to tell me what's going on?" Gibbs discarded with the usual pleasantries.

"I'm sorry I lied to you Agent Gibbs." Louisa earnestly replied, as Gibbs sat opposite her.

"Why'd you do it?"

Louisa thought about it for a few moments. "Through some misplaced loyalty. I thought I could resolve the situation without anyone needing to get hurt, or in trouble."

"And now?"

"And now I know I was wrong." She took a sip of water from the glass in front of her. "I

broke up from my husband eighteen months ago and we divorced last year. I guess you

could call it a volatile relationship. He was a Doctor and the stress led him to drink heavily.

He admitted to having an affair with a, young patient." She looked embarrassed as she said

it. "The Medical Council warned him and I forgave him. Then he had another. They struck

him off, I foolishly forgave him again. I ended up having an affair myself some months later, only he wasn't so forgiving. I heard through a mutual friend, that he'd moved on and met someone else. After I started seeing Tony a few months ago, Greg found out. He contacted me and started making threats about what he'd do if I didn't break up with Tony."

"Did he make threats against Tony?"

"No. It's just that the guy I had an affair with, well, Greg found out and went after him. He held him hostage in his home. He didn't really harm him, just wanted to scare him and warn him off contacting me again. I thought maybe he'd done the same with Tony. That's why I wanted to speak to Greg, to try and sort it out before it got out of hand."

"And?"

"Greg told me I was delusional and to 'get over myself'. He said he couldn't care less who I was seeing. That's when I went to Tony's apartment to check if he'd done the same and just left Tony tied up there."

"We have your ex-husband on his way in for questioning. If he is involved you could have wasted valuable time playing PI. You should have told us." Gibbs chastised.

Louisa just nodded her head, accepting the reprimand.

"You're free to go for the moment Ms. Hampson." They both rose from their seats. "We'll need to take your fingerprints before you go, to eliminate them from what we find."

"Will you keep me updated about Tony?" Louisa asked, looking Gibbs directly in the eye.

Gibbs said nothing, as he opened the door for her.

"There's something else." Louisa said. "It's probably nothing, but Tony said cases are often solved by clues that can be dismissed as unimportant. Anyway, the house next door is for sale and there's a lady who keeps coming to view it. She must have been at least a dozen times over the last month. She popped over a couple of times, but left whenever she heard anyone pull up the drive."

"Did Tony notice her?"

"This is Tony we are talking about Agent Gibbs. She was very attractive, very glamorous. I very much doubt Tony didn't notice her." She smiled uneasily, "but it would only have been

a glimpse, she definitely didn't wish to be seen by him or anyone else."

"Did she give a name?"

"Just Sarah. The real estate company might be able to give you more information. It's for sale through Arlington's."

OOO

Gibbs took Louisa to Abby's lab to provide her fingerprints, before asking McGee to escort her from the building.

"So what you got for me Abs?" He asked, as he followed her to her computer.

"I've been working my long black and white socks off Gibbs." Abby brought up the image of the tire tracks taken from the scene of the accident. "The tire tracks came from a 2008 Ford Explorer. But they're standard fit, so there's not much to go on, unless we have a suspect's car."

"Any fingerprints on Tony's car?"

"Do you know how many fingerprints there are an average car?" Abby asked.

"Not now Abs." Gibbs gently admonished.

"I'll tell you then. There are fifty. If I discount Tony's, Louisa's, mine, Ziva's, Tim's, Ducky's Jimmy's and yours, that still leaves me forty-two to process. If I had someone to compare them to?" Abby implored.

"So you're telling me you've got nothing?" Gibbs asserted, more sharply than he intended.

"You want something?" Abby forcefully asked, her frustration let loose. "I've confirmed that the blood in the vehicle and leading up to the road is Tony's. Unequivocally, unquestionably, indubitably, one hundred percent DiNozzo blood." Abby choked back the words.

"Abs, I'm s…"

"Don't say it Gibbs. Don't you be acting all out of character, because that will really freak me out, and I'm freaked enough as it is."

"I was just going to say, I'm speaking with NYPD to get you Greg Brucks' fingerprints from an earlier investigation he was implicated in."

"Oh."

"So is there anything else?" He asked, more gently.

"There is." Abby said, regaining her composure. "I got the test results back from the darts in Tony's and Ziva's tyres. The darts were made of titanium compound and contained traces of hydrogen peroxide. It's used to burn rubber. They must have used a high velocity dart gun to fire so precisely at the back wheels. The darts were almost out the other side of the wheel. I've never come across anything like them before."

"Any idea who could have made them?"

"Titanium is not cheap and there are numerous other metals which would have done the job just as well. If you asked me to guess, I would say it was someone with easy access to it. The only other darts sometimes made of titanium are playing darts."

"Any usage in the medical field?"

"Lots. Titanium's used in x-ray machines, implants, rods for broken bones. But I've checked with ACA Pharmaceuticals and they don't use it in any of their medical equipment."

"Brucks must have connections to other medical suppliers. I think it's about time I spoke with him." Gibbs stated before leaving to go.

"Hey, there's more." Abby said, dragging Gibbs back. "You may want to speak with Vance. The bomb detection equipment the outside security guys use is faulty, has been since it was replaced a week ago. That bomb could have been under Ziva's car for the past seven days and we would never have known."

"It was planted yesterday by that woman you have the photo of."

"Oh. Well I've had no hits yet."Gibbs just nodded before turning to leave.

"Gibbs."

"What Abs?" He asked testily.

"Don't buy McGee coffee again. He's freaking out over the significance of it."

"What?"

"The last time you offered to buy coffee for the team was when Kate died. McGee thinks you think the same might have happen to Tony. It hasn't has it? You're not acting like that because you think Tony's dead?" Abby's eyes were pleading with him to contradict her.

"I don't think he's dead Abs." Gibbs walked over to her and squeezed her hand. "But I think we need to find him fast."

OOO

The two men were seated on the terrace, savouring the sweet cool taste of chilled Aguila beer. Discarded McDonald wrappers and beer cans lay on the mosaic table in front of them. The sun had set and they were enjoying the relative coolness of the night air.

"Salud." Felipe Ruiz toasted, lifting his beer can to his companion, before taking a long draught. Ruiz was a solidly built man in his early fifties, with a full head of thick brown hair.

He was dressed in a casual navy shirt and jeans. His brown eyes looked impenetrable, almost black against his olive skin. It was as if you were being sucked into the depths of a black lagoon.

"Cheers." Giovanny Garcia replied without enthusiasm. He played with the can, not taking a swig. Garcia was in his mid-thirties, with his long black hair tied back in a pony tail. He was lanky of build and his clothes hung off him like they were two sizes too big.

"So how does it feel?"

"What?"

"To have undertaken your first session. Did you get a high from it? Did you feel the power of having someone's life, someone's very existence in your hands." He crushed the now empty can in his hand to emphasise the point.

"It's a job Ruiz." Garcia replied, indifferently. "I have a lot to learn."

"You got nothing out of it?" Ruiz responded surprised. "When you eventually shut that mouth of his, or when you got him to cry out, even if it was only expletives?"

"We didn't get what we wanted. I don't think it's time to sit and celebrate. DeSouza's waiting for answers. I know it takes a lot for DeSouza to trust someone and I do not want to let him down."

"Jhon knows we never get information from the first session. You have set your expectations too high. First you need to soften them up, make them start to fear the very sound of your voice. Get them to the stage where they would willingly give you their wife to screw, rather than endure one more session." Ruiz opened another can of beer. "We've only just started on DiNozzo. He's got days of this to come and then you can feel the natural high of seeing the bravado disappear, replaced by the pathetic whimperings and pleadings of a man praying for death."

"You're one sick bastard Ruiz." Garcia replied, retrieving the cigarettes from his leather jacket.

Ruiz laughed. "It's no worse than what _he _does for a living."

"The man will die in pain and agony and be tortured for a week beforehand. You think this is the same as doing jail time?"

"You obviously have not been in a Colombian prison Senór Garcia." Ruiz laughed.

OOO

McGee had brought Greg Brucks to the interrogation room, waiting for Gibbs to join them. Brucks was a handsome man in his late forties, with sun kissed skin and greying hair, which hung just below his neck line. He wore glasses, which he kept taking on and off as he paced up and down the room. McGee left the interrogation room when Gibbs entered.

"I don't know what that bitch hastold you, but she's a lying little ..."

"Sit down." Gibbs demanded, as he pushed him into the chair.

"Get your hands off me, I'm not some common criminal."

"Think you're too good to be here? Not the type to be arrested?" Gibbs opened the file he'd brought with him and started to read. "Arrested two years ago for kidnapping and false imprisonment."

"They're lies." Brucks spat out.

"Shut the hell up. I'll let you know when I want you to speak."

"I'm not being spoken to like this." Brucks got up. "Get me my Legal Counsel. I'm not discussing anything until he gets here."

"He's on his way. It doesn't stop me from talking though." Gibbs said, as he continued to read from the sheet. "You were arrested for imprisoning Clive Williams, a forty year old Banker from New York."

"Wanker's more like it and he dropped the charges." Brucks stated, as he reluctantly sat back down.

"Doesn't mean you didn't do it."

"Look whatever that bitch and her latest gigolo have gotten into, I'm not involved. I've been in Winchester all week."

"Your work forwarded over the register. You didn't turn up until 10.00 on Tuesday. Where were you?"

"I went for a drive and got lost." He immediately replied, taking off his glasses and placing them in the breast pocket of his old, but high-priced Armani beige suit.

"I don't believe you." Gibbs nonchalantly replied. "I have CCTV footage of you leaving your hotel at 02.09 on Tuesday morning in your car and not returning until 09.17. Are you telling me an intelligent man like you got lost for seven hours in an area he was familiar with? You were brought up in Washington right?"

Brucks remained silent. Gibbs rose from his seat and leaned over.

"I have an agent missing Mr. Brucks, and if I find you're in any way responsible, you're going to wish you'd ended up in jail with your last charge." Gibbs calmly stated.

"He was a Federal Agent?" Brucks paled slightly.

"He's one of _my_ Federal Agents." Gibbs shouted, slamming his palm down hard onto the table.

McGee knocked on the interrogation door, before entering.

"Boss, Legal Counsel can't get here until the morning."

"That's fine by me McGee." Gibbs replied, the edge still to his voice. He continued staring at Brucks. "Take him to the cells for the night, it'll give him time to remember where he was those seven hours."

"You can't hold me, you've not arrested me. Where's your arrest warrant?" Brucks shouted behind him as he was taken away by McGee.

OOO

The squad room was lit only by the desk lamps in the squad room. It was 21.30 and McGee and Ziva were sat at their desks discussing the latest suspect, over the Chinese take out they'd ordered.

"He's older than I expected, but he's very distinguished looking, I can see why she fell for him." Ziva stated, smiling at McGee. She took a mouthful of noodles from her chopsticks.

"He's okay if you like that sort of thing."

"I'm a women McGee, of course I like that sort of thing." She winked at him.

"You finished eyeing up our main suspect Ziva?" Gibbs asked as he joined them.

"The LEO's have searched Brucks car and his hotel room, but there's no sign of Tony." Ziva hastily stated, putting down her chopsticks. "I've asked for the vehicle to be brought in so we can examine for blood etc."

"How'd you get on with that photo?" Gibbs asked Ziva

"We've had no luck with the photo. The woman is not on any wanted lists here nor listed with Interpol. I have looked through the files of Tony's cases as Agent Afloat and am speaking to my contacts. Nothing yet."

"Well keep working on leads. Until we nail this bastard we don't assume anything. I want a list of new suspects, with motives by midnight and I want you to chase them down until we're just left with the bastard who's got Tony."

OOO

_**Wednesday, April 13**_

Vance walked out of the elevator just before 06.00. The place looked deserted other than the lone figure of Gibbs sitting at his desk, intently studying a document.

He walked into the Bullpen and nearly tripped over Ziva lying in a sleeping bag on the floor.

"Want to tell me why your Bullpen is looking like a college slumber party?" Vance asked, as he saw Abby beside Tony's desk and McGee hidden behind his. The remnants of the previous nights take-out scattered on the desks and floor.

"It was late when we finished and they wouldn't go home. This is the only way I could get them to rest. As it is they've only had a couple of hours."

"And you?"

"I don't need sleep." Gibbs replied, holding up a fresh cup of coffee.

"I want an update in my office in ten minutes. I have the manufactures of our bomb detecting equipment coming in at noon, so any information you can give me would be helpful." Vance stated. "Oh, yeah." He added as he carefully made his way around Ziva's prone form, "Special delivery from the Justice Office." He placed an envelope on Gibb's desk, "The pre-dated arrest warrant allowing us to detain Mr. Brucks overnight." He smiled at Gibbs, "You see I do have my uses Jethro; even if it is only as a Mail Boy. But just for future reference, maybe you could think of requesting one before you order a suspect to the cells for the night."

Gibbs knew Vance must have pulled a few strings to get this warrant. It wasn't exactly easy or legal to get a warrant after the event. And as there was no address on the envelope, he knew Vance must have gone to the Justice Office to collect it himself, putting himself firmly in the firing line if this went belly up.

OOO

Gibbs left the Director's office and stood on the balcony overlooking the squad room. It wasn't even 06.30 and he'd already had a run in with Vance. Vance's idea of quick results seem to consist of bringing Tony back in less than twenty four hours. He'd managed to persuade him that they had strong leads and just needed more time to investigate and follow-up. Vance had given him another twenty four hours before threatening to call in the FBI. He looked down to see Ziva and McGee busying themselves with calls and traces, focussing on chasing down each lead they uncovered. He looked over at Tony's empty desk, closing his eyes briefly. It had only been a day, time was still on their side, he tried to convince himself. What he _was _convinced about was that Brucks would not have had the strength or ingenuity to have kidnapped Tony alone and he would have had no means or reason to put a bomb under Ziva's car. He felt like he was missing something, it just didn't fit at the moment.

He decided to stop by to see Abby, before telling the rest of the team of Vance's ultimatum.

Abby automatically went to take the container of CafPow which Gibbs had brought with him. He pulled it back.

"You've not earned it yet Abs."

Abby's eyes widened, not used to having to earn the right to her caffeine fix. The corner of her mouth turned up in a half smile.

"I tested Tony's car for fingerprints. I eliminated all of our prints and Louisa's." Abby stared at Gibbs.

"Are you waiting for something Abs?"

"My CafPow please."

"Give me something first."

"I've found another match." She smiled, grabbing the Caf Pow and taking a long suck. "We also found a trace of a liquid sedative on the inside of Tony's door." She continued. "It had all the usual stuff in it, methyl, phenyl, benzodiazepine, but it also had a substance called bismuth subsalicylate which is used to stop the affects of nausea you sometimes get with sedatives. There's only one company who manufacture it."

"ACA Pharmaceuticals."

"Gibbs, you spoil all my fun. I'm still pulling data from the footprints and the DNA."

"That's good Abs."

"He'll be okay wont he? I mean, he is a trained Federal Agent. Trained by the best." She said looking directly at Gibbs. "And now we have the person who took him. It's only a matter of time before you break Brucks, right?"

"We'll get him back Abs." He said kissing her gently on the head, before leaving. "Just give me ten minutes with the bastard."

OOO

Gibbs had ordered Ziva to bring Brucks back to the Interview Room, where he was sat waiting for him. He was joined this time by his Lawyer, Vince Lorenzo, a balding man in his late forties, with large bags under his eyes and a world weary look.

"My client wishes to raise a formal complaint. You had no rights to keep him here overnight without a reason or a warrant. I demand that he is released immediately." Lorenzo firmly stated.

Gibbs handed over the arrest warrant previously given to him by Vance. Lorenzo studied it for a few moments. "Why did you not show my client this last night."

"He didn't give me chance. Too busy jabbering on about being lost. Strange don't you think for an intelligent man like your client. I mean he used to be a Doctor right?"

"Still am." Brucks replied.

"Delusional too."

Lorenzo put his hand firmly on Bruck's arm when it looked like he was about to get up and hurl abuse at Gibbs.

"So have you remembered where you were between 02.00 and 09.00 on Tuesday morning?" Gibbs asked, ignoring the incensed look Brucks was throwing his way.

"I couldn't sleep, so I went for a ride. I pulled up at a gas station in Potomac and must have fallen asleep. That's why I was late for the training." Brucks sat smugly, thinking he'd got one over the Federal Agent.

"Our Forensics Lab tested Agent DiNozzo's car for fingerprints. Want to take a wild guess whose we found?"

"You're not catching me out Agent Gibbs. I haven't given you my fingerprints so there's no way you could match mine with anything. Unless you illegally obtained them, like you did that warrant, in which case the evidence would be inadmissible in court."

"My client is right Agent Gibbs." Lorenzo affirmed. "I would have you up on charges in a heartbeat."

"Remember that case of kidnapping and false imprisonment." Gibbs stated, ignoring the threats.

"Agent Gibbs, I believe my client has already informed you, there was no case to answer." Lorenzo stated.

"Actually the victim was persuaded by Brucks' wife to drop the case, there's a difference."

"I'm not a criminal, my fingerprints wont be on your database."

"No, but they did take your fingerprints when you were first arrested."

"Like my client stated, they should not be on the database unless he'd been found guilty. If they are, then we will be filing a lawsuit."

"They weren't on the database. NYPD were happy to scan over to us hard copies from the closed file. Our forensics expert has just spent the last hour manually matching them to those found on Agent DiNozzo's car door and steering wheel. So do you want to try and remember again what you were doing yesterday morning?"

Brucks went quiet for a few moments, the colour draining from his tanned face.

"I want to speak to my Lawyer, alone."

Gibbs smiled, before getting up to leave the two men alone.

OOO

McGee slyly looked over at Tony's empty desk, not wishing for Ziva to notice. It was covered in items that Tony usually kept hidden in his drawers; a toothbrush, a back scratcher, a batch of Gibbs' medals, a glove puppet, a yoyo and of course the red furry handcuffs. Gibbs had turfed them out earlier this morning, not batting an eyelid as each bizarre item was deposited on the desk. Gibbs had adamantly told them to leave no stone unturned, and if that meant delving into Tony's personal things, so be it.

McGee thought how quiet the place was whenever Tony wasn't around. Sometimes that was a good thing, most of the time it wasn't. Tony always seemed to land in trouble even without trying, but this was different. Something churning in his gut was telling him that Tony wasn't going to get himself out of this alone. Of course he couldn't be sure it wasn't last nights take-out which was making him feel this queasy.

He looked up to see Ziva looking over at him. They shared a knowing look, before both silently turning back to their computers, just as Gibbs came out of the elevator. He made his way to his desk, before taking a big bite out of the sandwich still lying on top of his folders.

"Update." He said, with a mouthful of food, as they both looked at him with disgust.

"You know that was yesterdays sandwich, right?" McGee asked.

"I do."

"Right. Okay, well I'm working my way through checking the employee's of Cognito, the suppliers of our security equipment. The firm assemble and distribute the equipment from their warehouse in California. Cognito requested a precautionary recall of our batch nine days ago, having been told by their supplier of the handles that a potential defect meant the detector and handle could separate. It wouldn't have caused the equipment to malfunction though, it was more cosmetic."

"So a new batch were sent? Gibbs asked.

"Yes. They brought the new ones when they collected the old ones. I'm just trying to find out who supplied the handles."

"Find out who delivered them too. Ziva, what have you got?"

"Nothing yet, but give me five minutes with Brucks and I will have him squealing like a little girl."

"Carry on chasing leads from Tony's time as Agent Afloat and Team Leader." Gibbs coolly replied.

"But Gibbs, we are wasting time. It is obvious Brucks is involved. Tony has been missing over twenty four hours. If Brucks has just left him somewhere, we may be running out of time."

Gibbs merely had to raise and eyebrow for Ziva to know there was no arguing with him. She sighed and reluctantly picked up the phone for an update from a contact.

"Once I've finished with Brucks I'm heading out to New York. I'll be back Friday." Gibbs stated. "I'll want updated every hour."

"Are you checking out Brucks' apartment in New York, because I am certain the New York police department could do that." Ziva stated, putting the phone down again.

"Really Ziva. You think they'll be as thorough as us? You think they'll look over every inch of the apartment, on the off chance of finding some clue that'll help find a missing Fed, while several homicides and rapes go un-investigated?"

"Well, no. I was just thinking we could use your assistance here." Ziva backtracked.

"You'll do fine. Anyway that's not why I'm going." Ziva looked confused, not believing that Gibbs would be so easily diverted from the investigation.

"I think he means to visit Tony's father." McGee said to Ziva. "It'll be forty eight hours by then. Standard procedure states after that time the next of kin must be informed."

"Oh." Was all Ziva could reply.

OOO

Gibbs made his way back to the interrogation room. He had given Brucks and his Lawyer ample time to clarify the story.

"My client wishes to verify his previous statement." Lorenzo stated.

"Verify, or tell me the truth?" Gibbs asked.

"I wasn't lost." Bruck interjected. Despite the coolness of the interrogation room, a film of sweat coated his forehead.

"No, I got that bit. You were outside your ex-wife's home." Gibbs deduced.

Brucks nodded his head. "I'd been drinking a little and decided to go and see my wife. I'm not even sure why I went. I got there around 3.30am and just sat in the car."

"You just sat there?" Gibbs asked incredulously.

"I don't know why I went, I just wanted to see her, but when I got there, I lost my nerve."

"So what happened?"

Brucks fidgeted in his chair and took a long draught from the glass of water. Gibbs patience was wearing thin, but he waited for Brucks to continue. Brucks returned the glass to the table and took a deep breath.

"I saw a man leave her house around 5.30am, I guess the realisation she was really with him, that she'd slept with _him _that night when I was stuck in some God forsaken hotel, sent me into a rage, so I decided to follow him. I was going to confront him, warn him off. I followed for a few miles and then overtook him and was going to cut him off at the end where I knew the road narrowed to one lane, only he never showed. I waited thirty minutes then decided to head back to Lou's and speak with her about us possibly getting back together. I knew she still loved me."

"And?"

"About half way along, I saw his car had struck a tree. I went to the vehicle to see if I could help, only …"

"Only what?" Gibbs demanded, looking him straight in the eye. Bruck looked down briefly before meeting Gibbs eye.

"Only, there was nothing I could do, he was already gone."

**End of Chapter 2**


End file.
